Jan. 10, 2007
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -
The Xavier University men's golf team was picked second and the men's tennis team was selected fourth as the Atlantic 10 Conference announced its 2007 spring sports preseason polls this week. The head coaches in each A-10 sport voted in the poll for their respective teams.
The women's tennis team was a preseason No. 5 pick, men's outdoor track was picked 10th, while baseball and women's outdoor track were tabbed 11th.
Men's Golf
After finishing as the runner-up to Charlotte last season, head coach Doug Steiner's men's golf team is picked second again this season behind the 49ers. Both Xavier and Charlotte have been the class of the A-10 over the last two seasons, with both programs advancing to the NCAA regional last season and each being ranked among Golf Digest's top 50 programs in America.
The 2007 A-10 Championship will be contested May 4-6 at the Orange Country National Golf Club in Winter Garden, Fla.
Tennis
As Hall of Fame tennis coach Jim Brockhoff rolls toward career win No. 1,000, he'll have top-five expectations to live up to on both the men's and women's side. The men, after finishing fifth at the A-10 Championship last season, are a preseason fourth-place pick. The women, who took fourth last season, were picked fifth.
With 976 career victories (546 with the men), Brockhoff is well on his way to becoming just the second NCAA Division I head coach to reach the 1,000 wins plateau. Among active coaches, Brockhoff is second in the NCAA in wins behind Hampton's Robert Screen (982).
Baseball
Second-year head coach Scott Googins is hoping an aggressive non-conference schedule will have his team prepared for Atlantic 10 play. This season, the Musketeers will face six of Baseball America's preseason top-50 programs (Vanderbilt, Winthrop, Elon, Ohio State, Kentucky and Miami-Ohio) in non-league action. Should Xavier qualify, the 2007 A-10 Championship will be played at Fifth Third Field in Dayton May 23-26.
Outdoor Track
After finishing 11th last season, the women's outdoor track team was picked 11th again this season. The men were tabbed 10th after placing 10th a year ago. Head coach Steve Nester, who is also at the helm of the cross country teams, has made great strides in the XU running program recently. Xavier only competes in track events at the A-10 Championship, thus not eligible for the points that would come from the field events.
